Dispensing envelope



J1me 1956 N. H. EHMANN DISPENSING ENVELOPE Filed July 15, 1953 FIG. 2

IN I'ENTOR. A/EV/LLE h. 51mm .11. ""III" I ATTOY United States Patent DISPENSING ENVELOPE Neville H. Ehmann, Havertown, Pa.

Application July 15, 1953, Serial No. 368,123

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-85) This invention relates to envelopes in general but more particularly and specifically to an envelope designed and constructed to permit the convenient dispensing of pills, capsules, candy, chiclets and other similar small articles and at the same time provide a closed envelope for the storage or retention of those remaining articles which have not been dispensed from it.

The envelope can be particularly advantageously used by physicians or pharmacists in furnishing pills or tablets to their patients and provides a combined dispensing and storage envelope from which the patient can periodically remove doses.

An object of the invention is the provision of an envelope of the character described which can be made from a single sheet of material and can be fabricated quickly and comparatively cheaply yet be highly efiicient in operation.

in the accomplishment of the desired objects the envelope is constructed and arranged so that in use the major portion of the envelope remains sealed while a small portion thereof can be conveniently opened and closed when contents or doses therefrom are removed, with the closure being so constructed that the contents of the envelope will not accidentally fall out.

Other objects and advantages of the envelope will appear from the following description when read in the light of the accompanying drawings which illustrate an envelope embodying the inventive concept.

in the drawings:

Fig. l is a view in elevation showing the back of the envelope at the time of its delivery to the patient or patron, a portion of the view being broken away to etter illustrate the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the dispensing flap in an open position to permit dispensing or discharge from the envelope.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the dispensing flap in its closed position subsequent to having been opened.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by arrows.

Fig. 5 is view similar to Fig. 1 showing an alternate or modified manner of securing the dispensing flap in a closed position subsequent to its having been opened.

Referring now specifically to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings and utilizing like reference numerals and characters to designate similar parts, the envelope is preferably although not necessarily made from a single piece of material and comprises a front wall A, see Fig. 4, and a back wall composed of two parts B and C connected to one another in a manner to be hereinafter described. The envelope is illustrated as a fiat open ended rectangular tube the upper end of which is closed by a sealing flap D of any conventional type which is held in its closed or sealed position by a suitable adhesive, not shown, such as is conventional in envelopes. The bottom open end of the envelope is sealed by a flap ordinarily ,2 7 similar in configuration to the top closure flap D but actually composed of two :parts in that intermediate its length it is transversely scored as .at 1 .to provide a weakened line on which the flap may be easily and readily torn. This scored line therefore actually provides a twopart flap the parts of which I term tabs which are designated E and F.

The back wall parts B and C overlap .and are secured together in some suitable manner, a convenient one and the one illustrated being an adhesive seam 2. This seam extends from end to .end of the back wall and is preferably carried along the longitudinal marginal edge 3 of the undermost back wall part C. As a result of this the marginal edge 4 of the back wall part .B is free, that is, is loose in respect to the back wall part (3 :so that there is formed throughout the length of the back wall portion '23 a flap 5 the width or depthof which .is the .distance from the marginal edge 4 of said part B to the nearest edge of the adhesive seam 2.

This manner of vsecuring the overlapping edges of the back wall parts together provides a .simple and convenient arrangement but need not necessarily be followed in the practice of the invention. It is only essential that a lower .end portion of the marginal edge 4 of the back part B be free to provide a flap the length-ofwhich would be equal or slightly greater than the width of the 'end closure tab F.

The inner edge 6 of the adhesive seam 2 is substantially the longitudinal center line of the envelope back wall but whether it be exactly so positioned the score line i of the bottom closure flap lies entirely in a plane to the inner side of said edge 6 of the adhesive seam, that is, in the same plane as the tree portion which forms the flap 5 of the back wall part B. This score line is arcuate so as to provide the tab F when the bottom closure flap is torn along the score line, with pointed ends 7 and 8.

The bottom closure tab E is provided on its inner face with an adhesive, not shown, which secures the tabs E and F before they are torn apart on the score line 1, in the position illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings to effectively close the lower end of the envelope.

When the envelope is delivered to the customer with particular merchandise or articles therein, which for the sake of description will be referred to as pills, the envelope is as it appears in Fig. l of the drawings, When the user desires to take a pill, that is a dose of the prescribed medicine, he tears the bottom closure flap along the score line i and swings tab F as illustrated in Fig. 2, which he may readily do because this tab is not secured or adbored to the envelope back wall. With the parts in this position one or more of the pills can be dispensed through the lower right hand corner of the envelope as it is viewed in Pig. 2. To safeguard the accidental disbursement of the remaining pills in the envelope the user, after removing from the envelope the pills he desires, swings tab F back and over the rear wall of the envelope and tucks the inner end thereof under the lower end of the flap 5 in the manner illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, wherein it will be seen that a sufficient portion of the tab, which portion is designated G in Fig. 3, lies beneath the flap 5 to retain the tab in the position illustrated in Fig. 3 to efiectively close the lower end dispensing opening of the envelope.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple yet effective construction provides a combined storage and dispensing envelope.

A slightly modified form of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 5 which even more securely seals the dispensing opening in the lower end of the envelope after the tab F has been torn on the scored line 1. In this arrangement after the inner end portion of the under tab F has been tucked beneath the flap 5 as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 as described, the lower right hand corner, see Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, is bent on substantially the dotted line 9 andthis inwardly and downwardly bent corner 10 of the envelope has its vertical edge portion, designated 11 in Fig. 5, tucked under the flap 5 so that it overlies the under tucked portion G of the flap tab F. In this arrangement a double seal or lock is provided for the dispensing opening which is obtainable in the lower right hand corner of the envelope when the parts thereof are in the position illustrated in Fig. 2.

Departures from the exact and specific construction illustrated and described can be made Without departing from the inventive concept and accordingly the invention is to be limitedonly by the terms of the hereinafter following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an envelope for the purpose described, a rear wall composed of two parts having overlapping edges united along a seam line which extends substantially from end to end of the overlapped edges, said seam line adjacent the lower end of the outermost of the lapped edges of said back parts being inset in respect to the edge whereby a length of the edge is free to provide an unsecured free back flap element, a closure for the upper end of the envelope, a flap closure at the bottom end of the envelope and normally overlying both parts of the envelope rear wall, a scored line extending across said bottom closure flap and dividing it intermediate its ends into two tabs, said scored line extending across the envelope bottom closure flap in a plane overlying the outer face of the unsecured free hack flap element, adhesive means securing one only of said tabs to the envelope back to close the lower end thereof, the other flap being tearable along said scored line, and the scored end of said tab being insertable beneath the free back flap element and extending thereunder to a point closely adjacent the seam line for removably securing said tab in overlapped relationship to the envelope back.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1 wherein, the lower end of the outer overlapped edges of the back parts is curved and stops short of the lower end of the envelope, the score line of the envelope bottom flap closure being arcuate to provide when the flap is torn on said score line a pair of pointed elements at the torn end of the tab, one of said tab points lying beyond the curved lower end of the lapped edge of the back part and the other point of the tab lying beneath the free back flap element when the tab is removably secured beneath the free back flap element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,977,749 Ford Oct. 23, 1934 2,219,198 Reineman Oct. 22, 1940 2,289,058 McCarthy July 7, 1942 2,491,227 Sugar Dec. 13, 1949 

